Diwali And its importance.

Importance Of Diwali.

Deepavali also was known as Diwali is one of the festivals in India that is celebrated throughout without any bias in religion, region, caste or creed. Diwali is an example of our concept of Unity in Diversity. In this article let us see the roots and various aspects of Deepavali festival of lights.

The festival of Diwali is not only significant to Hindus, but, has importance in Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. For Hindus, it is associated with the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya, after his 14 years of exile and victory over the demon Ravana.

On that day, he was welcomed to the kingdom of Ayodhya with rows of Deep, lightened throughout the kingdom.

Thus, there is a tradition of lighting oil lamps that symbolize the victory of good over evil and freedom from spiritual darkness.

Hindus, also make preparations to welcome goddess Lakshmi by drawing Rangoli, and Paduka (footsteps) on the entrance that would allure goddess Laxmi to visit one’s home and bring prosperity along with her.

Introduction on Deepavali

Deepavali though a Hindu festival has become a nationwide sensation and a brand for Indian festivals. Deepavali signifies how we Indians celebrate our festivals with grandeur even in each and every one of our homes. The name Deepavali is said to have Sanskrit roots which mean rows of lamps. That is one of the important reasons why lamps play a major role in Diwali. During Diwali, most of the homes are adorned with lamps. Members of the household make their homes even brighter not only by means of lamps and fireworks but also by sharing joy and laughter with family, relatives, and neighbors. We, humans, have a tendency to get together during times of joy and sorrow. Diwali is a time of great joy we get together and burst crackers with everyone around us. One can very well see this type of getting together in streets and apartments during Diwali. Also, we get to make new friends. In this article, I have used both terms Diwali and Deepavali which holds the same meaning.

Deepavali also was known as the festival of lights is celebrated for different religious reasons in different regions of India. As I have mentioned above Deepavali's Sanskrit root, I would also like to mention the reason behind the name Deepavali in south India. Deepavali gets its name from the words Deepa Olli. Deepa is all we know that is deeps or lamps and Olli in Tamil means light. Combined together these words are said to have transformed into Deepavali. The reason behind these interpretations name wise is due to the fact that during ancient ages languages throughout India were interlinked and influential over each other. Now that we are in an information age we have blended different cultural adaptations over Deepavali and have formed one festival called Diwali that is celebrated throughout India.

History of Deepavali

Diwali in a religious sense is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains for different reasons. Let me put forth few of the reasons based on each religion. First, if we take Hinduism there are about ten interpretations on the history of Diwali. However, most of the interpretations have its roots on God Vishnu, his avatars, and Goddess Lakshmi. According to Hinduism Lord Vishnu is the God who protects. As per Hindu scriptures he has taken ten avatars to protect this earth namely (let me use simple terms for everyone's understanding) fish, tortoise, boar, half human half lion, dwarf(Vamana), Parasurama (angry sage with axe), Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, Buddha, and Kalki. 

Let me state a few important historical interpretations of Deepavali on the perspective of Hindu mythology. 

• Diwali is considered the day when Lord Rama killed Ravana.
• Diwali is celebrated as the day when Lord Krishna killed Narakasura who was the king of the demons or asuras.
• The third interpretation is this day was celebrated as the day where Vishnu in Vamana avatar helped Goddess Lakshmi from being a prisoner. This may be one of the reasons why Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped during Diwali.
• The fourth interpretation is on this auspicious day Pandavas returned back home after being banished by Kauravas.

Apart from Hinduism, this day is celebrated as the day in which King Vikramaditya known to be one of the greatest kings in Indian history was crowned to rule our land. Sikhs celebrate this day because it was on this day of the festival the first stone of golden temple was laid, moreover, on this day the famous Sikh guru Hargobind got released from imprisonment. Jains celebrate this day that marks the achievement of nirvana by Mahavir.

Diwali traditions based on Religion

Now that we know how Diwali came into existence we shall see how Indians celebrate Diwali. Diwali is known to be celebrated for around two to four days in most parts of India, especially in the south. Wheres in north India there is a continuous festivity for around five days. Deepavali in South India mostly includes two important celebrations one is Deepavali and second is Lakshmi puja. The first day i.e., Deepavali includes usual festival celebrations which we would see below and the second day i.e., Lakshmi puja is puja to a goddess of wealth with fasting and prayers. In north Diwali is celebrated elaborately for five days each day has its own significance. The first day is called Danteras (worship for wealth to goddess Lakshmi, the second day is small (Choti) Diwali ( marks Lord Krishna killing narakasura), the third day is Bigger Diwali (emphasizing lord Rama killing Ravan), the fourth day is Govardhan pooja, a fifth is Karthik(lighting lamps). Each of these celebration involves prayers, sacrificing food to God, flower and Deepa adorations to God. 

Sikh celebrates Diwali as Bandi chhorarh divas as a day where Guru Hargobind was released from prison and also as the day of commencement of building a golden temple in Amritsar. On this auspicious day, Sikhs would get together to get the blessings of Guru at the temple. Amritsar golden temple would be filled by devotees on this day. This day marks significance for Jains for they consider Mahavir to have attained the supreme state called as Nirvana. During Diwali, Jains have midnight prayer that extends till daytime and they worship earnestly reading the Jain scriptures. These type of Jain Diwali celebrations can be witnessed in Gujarat. It is said that Buddhists too celebrate Diwali as a day where king Ashoka became a Buddhist. It is important to mention that crackers and fireworks during Diwali are quite common to all irrespective of religion.

How do we celebrate Diwali in India

Now that we know the celebration of Deepavali on religious perspective let us see how Diwali is celebrated by all people. During Diwali, people get up early in the morning and complete all their personal rituals. In south oil, a bath is very famous during Diwali. This has been conducted as a ritual where the sesame oil is applied throughout the body from head to toe before having a bath. This ritual has a scientific value where it helps the individual's body to cool down and relax. Most importantly people pray to their favorite God. Even in churches, special Diwali adorations are made. There was a famous incident in 1999 where catholic Pope paid a visit to India during Diwali time. He conducted a ceremony or mass where the church was adorned with lamps and lights. He gave a speech on Diwali and he also wore a tilak in the forehead. This is a mark on how Deepavali is acclaimed to be the popular Indian festival worldwide. 

After prayer next comes the favorite part food. There are different varieties of food prepared based on the different region in India. Mostly sweets and savories are the favorite varieties during Diwali. People prepare different types of these items and most importantly share with their relatives and neighbors. This sharing makes Diwali even brighter. Nowadays with the time crunch in people's life, Deepavali seems to be a time where the sweet and snack shops seem profiting at the maximum. Homemakers also volunteer and make fresh snacks for sale. So even before Diwali lot of business activity would be going around. Although people have come to older ways of preparing snacks at home, the most important thing is they never forget to share. There are certain communities where Deepavali includes a gala breakfast and lunch. Both vegetarians and nonvegetarians have different menus. Within relatives and friends, people take turns to host Diwali lunch every year. 

Most important festivity is fireworks and lamps. Diwali being the festival of light, fireworks or firecrackers play a major role in these festivities. Before one month to Diwali one can observe firecracker shops arising like mushrooms everywhere. Firecrackers include sparklers, flower pots, chakra, major fireworks, small sized bombs that blast (mostly cause havoc and more of a nuisance) and much more. With advancement in science, new innovations are observed even in crackers. Lamps are adorned in houses and apartments. All commercial places and also homes are decorated with serial lights. This light and festivity make even the hearts of people to warm and the entire experience seems delightful.

All transportations are full before Diwali because people rush hometown to see their relatives and friends. People rush to book travel tickets for Diwali as soon as the booking window opens even before six months. It is also a time of getting together in families who stay apart. Another aspect of Diwali is special programs in television. Though many are against it media never quit hosting the best of the best programs during Diwali. Even international channels in India host very good programs and blockbuster movies during Diwali. During the Lakshmi puja days, families sit together and play games of luck such as ludo, snake, and ladder, cards, etc with money because on this auspicious day it is said that Goddess Lakshmi would favor her devotees in winning money. The main reason behind this is to make families get together and enjoy.

When does Deepavali occur

Deepavali usually occurs on the day before the new moon between mid-October to mid-November. Due to this factor, Diwali usually occurs on different days each year. From ancient ages, we have used the lunar calendar for various calculations, most important festivals. Therefore most of the Indian festivals adhere to the lunar calendar. Sun and moon play a very important role in Diwali. People should arise before the sun, have a bath and commence their pooja or prayer. Some even burst crackers before the sunrise. 

Significance of Diwali

Diwali actually signifies the victory of good over evil. People celebrating this victory indicate that truth and goodness would always triumph. It also indicates that people would never forget goodness and greatness over time. This is one of the reasons why Deepavali is celebrated by all. Lighting up of the lamps and fireworks indicate that we remember to keep ourselves happy over good things in this world. Joy cannot be contained, by sharing the joy we receive more happiness. Sharing is one significant attribute of Deepavali. People share food, crackers and enjoy the festivity together. One more thing that is worth mentioning is Diwali being celebrated by Indians worldwide. Indians who live abroad have not forgotten their culture and festivals, take pride in celebrating this colorful festival of lights.

It is said that there is a scientific significance of Diwali. Diwali occurs during the rainy season in India. In ancient ages where there were no electricity people used to have a hard time. By means of this firecrackers and lights, they would have able to safeguard from insects and darkness during this season. Also one can note that Diwali occurs near to new moon. Due to cloudy weather, there would be no stars in the sky either. Therefore people protected themselves by lighting lamps and crackers.

Precautions during Diwali

We also tend to overdo things against nature with current trends. With business motive companies produce more and more crackers that cause great pollution to our atmosphere. This pollution includes air pollution, water pollution and most importantly noise pollution. Diwali celebrations at some places are no longer subtle and have become more of a menace. Some of them include youngsters bursting noisy crackers when everyone is asleep. Bursting crackers on roads used by people and travelers with vehicles. Bursting crackers without conforming to safety precautions thus by causing accidents and injuries to others and themselves. Extreme noise by means of bomb crackers causes harm to babies, elders, and animals. Diwali has become a time of extreme caution and security were firemen and police have to work overtime. If this menace is avoided or at least reduced everyone can enjoy celebrating Diwali.

Conclusion

We have seen various aspects of Diwali in this article. Let us remember and spread awareness on the same to have a safe and happy Deepavali this season. Also now that we know the significance of Diwali the festival of lights let us remember to remove the darkness or bad things around us that hinders your life and bring about the triumph of goodness around us. Let us never forget the essence of this festival.

Manish Kundara